Monthly Archives: October 2016

One of the best parts of growing up on a farm in the Midwest was the sense of family we shared with all of the surrounding farms. In that era the words “country club” did not mean a beautiful building in the middle of a golf course where you met others for drinks, dinner, golf, etc but rather a group of farm women who met monthly following a criteria set up by our county extension office. There were also social events such as ice cream socials, Christmas (yes Christmas not holiday) parties, and county style shows with the ladies modeling clothing from the local merchants. Deep friendships evolved that lasted a lifetime. My Mother belonged to the local “country club” in an area where our family had farmed for three generations that I know about, and it could have been longer.
When I was 11 years old, we moved from that farm to another farm not in this neighborhood. My Mother was no longer close enough to belong to the group.
This triggered a “handkerchief shower”. A “handkerchief shower” was very similar to a bridal shower, but the gifts were all beautifully designed handkerchiefs. They came in the mail inside a warm greeting card. Just think of the memories my Mother had each time she used one of these handkerchiefs. Time has moved on (now we use tissues) and handkerchiefs have been delegated to a storage box or an estate sale.
They also make beautiful quilts, and fit into multiple quilt designs. Are you one of those lucky people who have found them when cleaning out your Mother or Grandmother’s home? Have you seen them at an estate sale or antique store? Why not design and create a quilt that you can showcase in your home to remember those days?

How many of us can say that we still have that perfect dress from our senior prom? Not only that but we married our date that night?
Wouldn’t that be a great story to tell your granddaughters as they unwrap beautiful pillows made from that prom dress? I can visualize those granddaughters telling the same story as their daughters unwrap the same pillows. What stories do you have in your closet?

How many of you remember your Grandmother’s or you Mom’s bedroom? Do you remember the dresser scarves that covered the dresser (where else would you put a dresser scarf?) or the dressing table that had a big mirror and a stool where you sat and looked in all the little decorated containers that held jewelry or tried the perfume? These scarves were hand embroidered by them or an aunt. Perhaps you remember watching Grandmother sit and embroider them?
Fast forward to today. A lot of us still have these scarves put away in a box or a bag. They are a precious memory of those wonderful days; however, since they do not fit in our décor, we only see them when we clean the basement (who does that very often?) How about taking these scarves or your favorite scarf and creating a beautiful adornment for your home that you can see every day or giving it to a daughter or granddaughter to cherish?
You can make a small bag, a pillow, a jewelry bag or a quilt, placemats or a table runner to not only warm your home but allow you to relive cherished memories every day.